Kokna in India

Introduction / History

Many Kokna (aka. Kokni, Kukna, Kukni) people of India are a scheduled tribe.

Where Are they Located?

Kokna people live in the State of Gujarat.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Their language is Indo-Arayan. They also speak Hindi, Marathi and read and write in Devanagari.
Their main food is rice. They also eat wheat, vegetables and fruit which they grow in their fields. They also eat pork and goat meat. They work in agriculture and as laborers. Some work for the government.
Kokna women wear saris and fadki. They cut the saris in two and the top part is called fadki and the sari covers the lower part of the body. They marry within their group.
Kokna people are known for being artistic, especially with wood carvings. They make masks from soft wood. They also make tobacco containers from wood, seeds or hard fruit skins, applying a thick coating of lead on the container, then carving designs in the lead. They sometimes make them in the shapes of animals.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Kokna people celebrate Hindu festivals and their own rituals. They are Hindus who worship tribal
gods, goddesses and the tiger.

What Are Their Needs?

Kokna people need to be liberated from traditions of caste that hinder receiving the Savior who died in their place, and to receive new believers into their traditional community.


Audio, visual, and written Christian resources have been produced in Hindi; someone must earn the trust of Kokna people to introduce them to this help.
The Kokna people need hearts that are open to the gospel.

Prayer Points

Pray that Kokna people will be liberated by God's Holy Spirit from the many ties that bind them, and false deities that weigh them down, causing them to live in fear.
Pray that as they celebrate many Hindu festivals, the Holy Spirit of the one true God will enable them to celebrate His reconciliation.
Pray for a disciple-making movement to flow through Kokna families and villages.

Text Source:   Karen Hightower